I Voted

I'm proudly wearing my "I Voted" sticker.

I really do think it's important. At the very least, I believe you lose your right to complain about elected officials if you did not participate in the election process. It's like saying, "I don't like what you're doing, but I don't really care enough to try to change anything." Why should anyone help you?

I met a woman today who emigrated from Italy 65 years ago, became an American citizen and is passionate about voting. She was decked out in red, white, and blue today, and talking about voting rights brought her to tears.

Then I heard from another woman who was angry because her polling place moved a few miles down the road. In her frustration, she decided not to vote at all because it wasn't fair to ask her to vote somewhere new. What? How will that help anything? Who are you hurting other than yourself by muting your own voice? People in other countries would sacrifice so much more than a bit of extra gasoline to travel a few miles to vote.

It may sound cliche, but election day always makes me feel patriotic. Yeah, politicians may be corrupt, the process may be flawed, blah blah blah. But at least I do have a choice and a vote, and that's more than some people can say.